Management of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) requires combined efforts of general practitioners, hepatologists, and other experts, Herbert Tilg explains in a Mentoring, Education, and Training Corner article in the August issue of Gastroenterology. NAFLD has become the most common liver disease worldwide. It ranges from simple steatosis in the absence

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is more accurate than transient elastography (TE) in identifying liver fibrosis of stage 1 or more, researchers report in the February issue of Gastroenterology, using biopsy analysis as the standard. They also show that MRI-based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) analysis is more accurate than TE-based

Mice with defects in intestinal epithelial permeability develop more severe steatohepatitis when placed on a diet high in saturated fat, fructose, and cholesterol (HFCD) than control mice, and colon tissues from patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have similar defects in intestinal epithelial permeability, researchers report in the October

The human transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2) protein regulates cholesterol metabolism in mice, researchers report in the May issue of Gastroenterology. These findings provide insight into the how a variant of TM6SF2 (encoding the amino acid change E167K) reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels in humans, and

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 gene (PNPLA3) is associated with baseline level of fibrosis and its progression, but not development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, researchers report in the February issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Most

A special issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is dedicated to the clinical management of hepatic disorders, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The issue comprises 14 review articles that aim to present clinicians with evidence-based guidance and expert opinions on management of patients with liver

Hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis are increasing in prevalence, and can progress to histologically identical, more severe liver disease. They are associated with 3 main factors: alcohol, obesity or metabolic syndrome, and exposure to toxins. Researchers review the similarities, differences, and pathogenic mechanisms of alcohol-associated steatohepatitis (ASH), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and toxicant-associated fatty liver

Two separate studies in the August issue of Gastroenterology show that weight loss, via diet or bariatric surgery, reduce features of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Eduardo Vilar-Gomez et al associated extent of weight loss, produced by lifestyle changes, with level of improvement in histologic features of NASH. The highest rates of NASH reduction

A new quantitative ultrasound (QUS) can accurately identify patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and quantify hepatic steatosis, researchers report in the July issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. With further validation, QUS could be an inexpensive, widely used technique to screen the general or at-risk population for NAFLD. The estimated prevalence of NAFLD

Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) with FibroScan can provide an accurate assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis, but operator-related and patient-related factors affect measurements, report 2 articles published in the April issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The lowest levels of variation occur in patients with no

About the Author

Dr. Kristine Novak is the science editor for Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She has worked as an editor at biomedical research journals and as a science writer for 15 years, covering advances in gastroenterology, hepatology, cancer, immunology, biotechnology, molecular genetics, and clinical trials. She has a PhD in cell biology and an interest in all areas of medical research.